March 31, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team heads to the University of Florida for the NCAA Gainesville Regional looking to clinch a berth to the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships. The Gainesville Regional is scheduled for Saturday, April 1, at 4 p.m. in the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Competing against the No. 33 Nittany Lions in the Gainesville Regional will be No. 3 Florida, No. 10 Georgia, No. 15 Missouri, No. 30 New Hampshire and No. 35 North Carolina. The 2017 NCAA Regional marks the 36th-straight appearance for the Nittany Lions at an NCAA Regional Championship event.
All-time at the NCAA Regional meet, Penn State has claimed 63 individual event titles, 16 all-around titles and has advanced to the NCAA Championship meet 18 times. The Nittany Lions last advanced to the NCAA Championships in 2014.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a sixth-place finish at the 2017 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships. At the Big Ten meet, the Nittany Lions tallied a team score of 195.200. Individually, sophomore Sabrina Garcia tied for second-place on the uneven bars and junior Briannah Tsang tied for third-place on the vault.
The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in St. Louis, Missouri, April 14-15, hosted by the University of Missouri, Columbia and the St. Louis Sports Commission.
In addition, the event winners at each regional will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with live stats via FloridaGators.com and live video via SEC Network +.
ROTATION ORDER
The rotation order for the Nittany Lions follows as: balance beam, bye, floor exercise, vault, bye and uneven bars.
FLORIDA
The No. 3 Florida Gators are coming off a second-place finish at the 2017 SEC Championships with their score of 197.825.
Individually, the duo of Alex McMurtry and Kennedy Baker went one-two in the all-around standings. McMurtry posted a 39.700 and Baker recorded a 39.650.
In the Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) standings, Florida ranks third with a 197.635.
GEORGIA
The No. 10 Georgia Gymdogs head to the Gainesville Regional with an RQS of 197.005.
Last time out, Georgia finished fourth at the SEC Championships with a 196.700.
Individually, the Gymdogs are led by Sydney Snead and GiGi Marino. Snead is tied for ninth in the nation on the vault with her RQS of 9.915 and Marino is tied for 10th in the nation on the floor exercise with her RQS of 9.930.
MISSOURI
The 2017 regional marks the 27th appearance for the Missouri Tigers at the NCAA Regional meet.
The No. 15 Tigers head to the Gainesville Regional with an RQS of 196.540.
Individually, Missouri is led by Britney Ward. Ward is tied for ninth in the nation on the vault with an RQS of 9.915 and she is also tied for 10th on the balance beam with an RQS of 9.925.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
The New Hampshire Wildcats enter the meet with an RQS of 195.745, which ranks 30th in the nation.
The Wildcats are coming off a second-place finish at the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championships. As a team at the EAGL meet, New Hampshire posted a score of 195.075.
Individually at the EAGL Championships, three New Hampshire gymnasts brought home event titles, as Danielle Mulligan won the uneven bars, while Casey Lauter and Meghan Pflieger shared the balance beam title.
NORTH CAROLINA
The North Carolina Tar Heels rank 35th in the RQS standings with their score of 195.430.
Last time out, UNC recorded a score of 194.525 to finish fourth at the EAGL Championships on March 18.
Following the conclusion of the EAGL Championships, junior Morgan Lane was named the EAGL Gymnast of the Year and Khazia Hislop was tabbed the EAGL Freshman of the Year.
PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions enter the Gainesville Regional ranked 33rd with an RQS of 195.590.
As a team, the Nittany Lions rank 45th on the vault (48.755), 22nd on the uneven bars (49.115), 30th on the balance beam (48.925) and 29th on the floor exercise (49.090).
Individually, Briannah Tsang leads the team on the vault (9.850), floor exercise (9.885), and all-around (39.275).
Also for the Nittany Lions, Sabrina Garcia leads the team on the uneven bars (9.915) and Nicole Medvitz leads the team on the balance beam (9.895).
PSU AT THE 2016 ANN ARBOR REGIONAL
At last year's Ann Arbor Regional, Auburn and Stanford tied for the top spot to advance to the 2016 NCAA Championships.
The Tigers and Cardinal each scored a 196.525 to tie for first, the Michigan Wolverines finished third with a 196.475, while Eastern Michigan placed fourth (196.250), Penn State finished fifth (195.125) and New Hampshire took sixth (193.900).
Individually, then-sophomore Briannah Tsang tied for the floor exercise title with her score of 9.900 to advance to the NCAA Championships for the first time as a Nittany Lion.
PSU AT THE NCAA REGIONAL MEET
The 2017 NCAA Regional marks the 36th-straight year the Nittany Lions have advanced to the NCAA Regional Championships.
Penn State has advanced to all 36 NCAA Regional Championships since women's gymnastics was adopted as an NCAA sport in 1982.
The Nittany Lions will be looking to secure their 19th appearance at the NCAA Championships in 2017.
The Nittany Lions have hosted the regional championships on 13 occasions and will travel for the 23rd time.
The 2017 Gainesville Regional marks the 14th time the Nittany Lions have competed at Florida as a team.
All-time at the NCAA Regionals, Penn State gymnasts have claimed at least 13 event titles on the vault (13), uneven bars (14), balance beam (16), floor exercise (20) and the all-around (16).
BIG TEN HONORS
Following the season-opening quad meet, Briannah Tsang was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the first time in her career.
Individually, Tsang won titles outright on the vault (9.850), floor exercise (9.850) and all-around (39.350). She also tied for the balance beam title with a 9.825.
Following the 2017 regular season, four Nittany Lions were honored with All-Big Ten plaudits.
Sophomore Sabrina Garcia and Tsang were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. The All-Big Ten Second Team featured senior Nicole Medvitz and freshman Kristen Politz.
For the second-straight season, Medvitz was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and Tsang received All-Big Ten First Team honors.
Following the 2017 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships, Garcia and Tsang were named to the Big Ten All-Championships Team, while Medvitz received the Sportsmanship Award.
SUCCESS ON THE BALANCE BEAM
Dating back to the 2010 season, the Nittany Lions have ended the season with a 49.000 or better on the balance beam in the RQS standings.
Currently the Nittany Lions' 48.925 on the balance beam ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 30th in the nation.
Individually, senior Nicole Medvitz is tied for 28th in the nation and is tied for second among Big Ten gymnasts in the balance beam RQS standings with a 9.895.
On the year, Medvitz has won the balance beam seven times, which includes five balance beam titles in Big Ten competition.
In her Nittany Lion career, Medvitz has captured 14 balance beam titles.
FAMILIAR FACES
After changing the lineups for the majority of the season, the Nittany Lions have had a fairly consistent lineup over the past four meets.
Over the past four meets, there have been only six changes to the Nittany Lion lineup between the four events.
STELLAR SOPHOMORE SEASON
In her second year with the Blue & White, sophomore Sabrina Garcia has set a pair of top-10 performances in the Penn State record books and has won 10 titles.
In the Penn State record books, Garcia has tallied a 9.950 on the uneven bars twice, which is tied for the No. 3 performance in school history.
On the year, Garcia has claimed four uneven bars titles, one balance beam title, three floor exercise titles, and two all-around titles.
Garcia's 2017 honors include: Second Team All-American (uneven bars), All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten All-Championships Team.
Garcia is one of 27 Nittany Lions to combine for 94 All-America honors in program history.
HOMECOMING
Penn State's trip to Texas will be a homecoming for three Nittany Lions. Sophomore Mason calls Pearland, Texas, home, Tess McCracken hails from Plano, Texas, and Emma Sibson is from Allen, Texas.
WELCOME BACK
The Nittany Lions return 12 members from the 2016 team that finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships and fifth at the NCAA Regional Championships.
Last year, a pair of Nittany Lion freshmen competed in all 12 meets (Mason Hosek & Jessica Jones), while freshman Sabrina Garcia competed in 11 of 12 meets on the year.
RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE
Sophomore Sabrina Garcia swung into the Nittany Lion record books with her performance on the uneven bars in the 2017 season-opener.
Garcia recorded a career-best 9.950 on the uneven bars, which tied the No. 3 performance in school history.
Two weeks later, Garcia posted another 9.950 on the uneven bars against Maryland on Jan. 21.
At the Penn Quad meet on March 5, junior Briannah Tsang tied the No. 5 performance in school history on the floor exercise with a career-best 9.950.
As a team on Feb. 19, the Nittany Lions tied the No. 10 performance in school history on the balance beam with a 49.300 at the Texas Woman's University quad meet.
TSANG'S 41 TITLES
Junior Briannah Tsang has captured 31 individual titles and 10 all-around titles in her Nittany Lion career.
Tsang opened up her junior year with three individual titles and the all-around title in a quad meet victory against Bowling Green, BYU and Temple on Jan. 7.
On the year, she has 12 individual event titles and five all-around titles.
MISS RELIABLE
Over the past four years, Penn State has competed as a team in 49 meets and senior Nicole Medvitz has competed in 48 of those meets.
FIRST CAREER TITLES
Freshman Kristen Politz and sophomore Peyton Schuller both captured their first career title as Nittany Lions against Maryland on Jan. 21.
Politz and Schuller tied for the floor exercise title along with Sabrina Garcia against Maryland, as they all tallied a 9.825.
NEW NITTANY LIONS
Tess McCracken, Kristen Politz and Mikayla Waddell joined the Penn State women's gymnastics team in the fall of 2016 as freshmen.
McCracken is from Plano, Texas, while Politz (Morganville) and Waddell (Ridgewood) both call New Jersey home.
NITTANY LION DEBUTS
All three Nittany Lion freshmen have competed in at least one meet during the 2017 season.
Tess McCracken made her Nittany Lion lineup debut at Nebraska, Kristen Politz competed in the season-opener and Mikayla Waddell made her lineup debut in Blue & White at Illinois.
ALL-AROUND DEBUT
In her first career all-around, freshman Kristen Politz tallied a 39.050 to finish third at the Penn State-Nebraska meet.
On the day, Politz recorded a 9.875 on the uneven bars, a 9.625 on the vault, a 9.750 on the floor exercise and a 9.800 on the balance beam.
PRESEASON POLL
The Penn State women's gymnastics team was selected 23rd in the 2017 National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Nittany Lions closed out the 2016 season ranked No. 26.
Penn State will compete against eight programs that are ranked in the NACGC/W Preseason Coaches' Poll during the 2017 season.
HOME SWEET HOME
The 2017 slate features five home meets for the Nittany Lions inside Rec Hall. Penn State opens the 2017 campaign at home in a quad meet against Bowling Green, BYU and Temple on Jan. 7. The Nittany Lions return home two weeks later to host Maryland in a double dual with the Penn State men's program on Jan. 21.
The month of February features three home meets for the Blue & White with Michigan State (Feb. 4), Ohio State (Feb. 11) and Pittsburgh (Feb. 25) coming to town. All Nittany Lion home meets start are scheduled for Saturdays at 4 p.m.
BIG TEN GYMNAST TO WATCH
Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Briannah Tsang was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.
Tsang tied for 38th overall on the floor exercise at the 2016 NCAA Championships with her score of 9.8125.
SMART LIONS
Seven Nittany Lions were honored by the Big Ten for their work in the classroom.
Mason Hosek, Jessica Jones, Nicole Medvitz, Tina Postiglione, Chanen Raygoza, Peyton Schuller and Briannah Tsang were named to the 2017 Academic All-Big Ten team.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
STARTING OFF STRONG
Since the 1999 season, the Nittany Lions have started the season with a top-10 season-opening meet score. The Nittany Lions have tallied a season-opening top-10 score in each of the past three seasons.
Five of those scores have been recorded at home, with four others accomplished at the Super Six Challenge; 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
195.775 Morgantown, W.Va. 2012
195.075 University Park, Pa. 1999
194.875 University Park, Pa. 2006
194.850 Gainesville, Fla. 2005
194.800 University Park, Pa. 2009
194.675 University Park, Pa. 2015
194.625 University Park, Pa. 2017
194.600 Tuscaloosa, Ala. 2004
194.575 Fayetteville, Ark. 2007
194.375 Athens, Ga. 2003
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Penn State enjoys one of the most historic collegiate gymnastics venues in the country and they take pride in giving the home crowd something to cheer for, including a lot of wins.
Since 1975, Penn State owns a 233-59 overall record in home meets. The Nittany Lions are 230-59 at Rec Hall and are 3-0 in meets contested inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The loss to North Carolina State on Jan. 9, 2016, snapped a seven-meet winning streak inside Rec Hall. The seven-meet winning streak was the fourth-best in program history.
Penn State swept its last two home meets in 2014 and was unblemished in its five home dates in 2015.
The longest unbeaten streaks in school history are as follows: (Streaks are listed by meets, not wins. Meaning if Penn State hosted three teams needed to be victorious vs. all three opponents to extend the streak.)
1977-82 28 meets
1999-2001 11 meets
1975-77 10 meets
2014-15 7 meets
2013-14/2009-10/2005 6 meets
2007/1992-93 5 meets
2011/1991/1986-87 4 meets
LOOKING AHEAD
The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in St. Louis, Missouri, April 14-15, hosted by the University of Missouri, Columbia and the St. Louis Sports Commission.
The top two teams from the Champaign, Fayetteville and Seattle regionals will compete in one of the semifinals, and the top two teams from the Gainesville, Lincoln and Morgantown regionals will compete in the other semifinal.
In addition, the event winners at each regional will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.